ObamaCare at two years of age

The Supreme Court Weighs ObamaCare ; Congress's power to regulate interstate commerce is broad but not limitless.  
"On Monday, the Supreme Court will begin an extraordinary three-day hearing on the constitutionality of ObamaCare. At stake are the Constitution's structural guarantees of individual liberty, which limit governmental power and ensure political accountability by dividing that power between federal and state authorities. Upholding ObamaCare would destroy this dual-sovereignty system, the most distinctive feature of American constitutionalism." 

How to Replace Obamacare 

"History suggests that, now that Obamacare is with us, the law cannot be reversed without a credible proposal for what should take its place. Those reforms must account for both the strengths and the weaknesses of our health-care system, and must solve the problems that contributed to the demand for Obamacare in the first place. There is room for debate about the particulars of these reforms, and different components of our health-care system will call for different kinds of fixes. What any effective solution must involve, however, is the creation of a true market in health coverage—one that drives efficiency through competition, and places health-care decisions in the hands of consumers and taxpayers, where they belong." 



Charles Krauthammer: Obamacare: The reckoning ..."This type of prevention is free — no co-pay. Why? Is contraception morally superior to or more socially vital than — and thus more of a “right” than — penicillin for a child with pneumonia? "
...."“Religious” exemptions to this edict extend only to churches, places where the faithful worship God, and not to church-run hospitals and charities, places where the faithful do God’s work. Who promulgated this definition, so stunningly ignorant of the very idea of religious vocation? The almighty HHS secretary."
...."Rarely has one law so exemplified the worst of the Leviathan state — grotesque cost, questionable constitutionality and arbitrary bureaucratic coerciveness. Little wonder the president barely mentioned it in his latest State of the Union address. He wants to be reelected. He’d rather talk about other things.

"But there’s no escaping it now. Oral arguments begin Monday at 10 a.m."

Ironically, where before most popular protest movements opposed powerful governments, the trend now has been to demand more and stronger government control over society.

http://theweek.com/section/cartoon/12/224371/barack-obama 

Obamacare ensures healthcare is a right "And then there’s the birth control thing. How, pray tell, did we get to the point that a woman who wants to have sex, but who doesn’t want to be out of pocket for her condoms or other forms of birth control, can tell you that you have an obligation to play for her birth control pills? It’s her right! Hand over the money! That’s were we are in America today … women have a right to demand that someone else pay for their birth control so that they can have sex without fear of becoming pregnant." 

...."perhaps some conservative group should form an organization that will provide women with all the birth control they could possibly need … with one requirement. The woman must be a registered Democrat or must have an Obama 2012 bumper sticker on her car. Providing these women with birth control would be a genuine public service."

(Emphasis added) 

Alan Caruba: Closing Ranks, Winning the Election

Warning Signs "I am surely not breaking any new ground by suggesting it is time for Rick Santorum and Newt Gingrich to end their primary campaigns and to urge that the Republican Party close ranks behind Mitt Romney.
"This needs to be said by anyone and everyone who wants to see Obama defeated in November. 
"It would be an act of patriotism for both men, Santorum and Gingrich, to end their campaigns. I make no mention of Ron Paul because he was always a sideshow.
"In this week’s column, Ann Coulter spells out why Santorum is hardly worthy of support. "



This is a hard fact for those of us who truly like this man personally.

http://townhall.com/political-cartoons/ 

Oops! Wildrose party to rethink the wheels on Danielle Smith’s campaign bus

National Post  “We do think that if this is the absolute worst thing to go wrong in the campaign, then that’s not too bad,” Stubbs said. “We’ve been having a bit of laugh because of the attention it’s been getting. Somebody suggested we submit a picture into Leno or Letterman to get international attention, as well as the national coverage we’ve been getting.”

"However, she also suggested that not everyone is amused."

Hat tip to Jeff Hayden, Plano, TX

The Irish Brigade at Gettysburg

Gettysburg Daily "... the “Prince of Wales” flag which clearly and unambiguously refers to October 11, 1860 which is the date when the 18 year old Prince of Wales, son of Queen Victoria, later King Edward VII, visited New York City. The upper red riband on that flag reads, “PRESENTED TO THE 69TH REGIMENT.” The lower red riband reads, IN COMMEMORATION OF THE 11TH OCT. 1860.” The 69th New York State Militia was ordered to march in a parade in his honor. Colonel Corcoran refused. He was protesting the inadequate and ineffective response of the British government to the potato famine in Ireland [1845-1850] where approximately one million Irish-British subjects starved to death and approximately another two million emigrated in coffin ships to Australia, Canada and the United States. Corcoran was relieved of command and court-martial proceedings were instituted. The charges were dropped when the 69th New York State Militia responded to President Lincoln’s call to defend Washington City. The painting of the Prince of Wales Flag is courtesy of artist Erik Chipchase at mercenarygraphics.com. His e-mail address is echipchase@mercenary graphics.com.

This painting by Don Troiani is titled New York’s Bravest. It is courtesy of www.historicalimagebank.com. 

(Below) Licensed Battlefield Guide John Fitzpatrick is pointing to the William Patterson House located on the east side of the Taneytown Road. The Irish Brigade marched along the Taneytown Road from south to north (right to left) as they prepared to take position along Cemetery Ridge. http://www.gettysburgdaily.com/?p=10931

Brigadier General Thomas Francis Meagher “Of the Sword” was born in 1823 in Waterford, Ireland into a family with a successful shipping business. An educated, independent thinking, passionate orator and firm admirer of the American and French Revolutions, he had hoped to bridge the “Catholic” vs. “Protestant” divide in a common goal of uniting all Ireland as citizens and free men with their own indigenous non-denominational Parliament. He earned his sobriquet in 1846 when he argued that at some point only armed revolt might achieve political change. He firmly declared to the crowd; “Abhor the sword? Stigmatize the sword? No, my lord…” three times including passionate references to the American Revolution and the Battle of Fontenoy* in the War of Austrian Succession in 1745. He joined the “Young Ireland” movement and participated in the failed revolt of 1848. He was tried, convicted and sentenced to execution but the public outcry lead to a sentence of life imprisonment on Van Diemen’s island near the southeastern coast of Australia. He escaped, made his way to New York, became a lawyer, orator and joined the 69th NYSM. He participated in the Battle of Bull Run and personally recruited the 69th, 88th and 63rd NY Volunteer Infantry Regiments. On February 5, 1862 he was appointed Brigadier General. Immediately prior to the Battle of Fredericksburg in December 1862, the 28th Massachusetts and 116th Pennsylvania Regiments were added to the “Irish Brigade” in the Army of the Potomac. Meagher commanded the Brigade through the Peninsula, the Seven Days, Antietam, Fredericksburg and Chancellorsville. When his requests for leave and the opportunity to recruit replacements for the depleted Brigade were denied, he resigned on May 8, 1862. He is the reason that the Irish Brigade was armed with the Springfield, Model 1842, smooth bore, .69 calibre “buck and ball” musket at the Battle of Gettysburg (except for the 28th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment which carried the Enfield .577 caliber rifle musket). 


*Fontenoy is a legendary battle that figures in the story of the "Wild Geese" or "Exiles of Hope" -- approximately 12000 Irish warriors under General Patrick Sarsfield who despaired of their own, and Ireland's future in the aftermath of the Elizabethan conquest of Ulster. 

.... On Fontenoy, on Fontenoy, like eagles in the sun,With bloody plumes the Irish stand -- the field is fought and won!"  Hence, the Irish battle cry "Remember Ireland and Fontenoy!"

Obama, the man of change.

Cartoonists have found clever ways to juxtapose Etch-A-Sketch and the Keystone Pipeline.

http://townhall.com/political-cartoons/ 

Hope n' Change    "This cartoon was inspired by Obama's ridiculous posturing in which he's suddenly presenting himself as the drillingest, oiliest, most pipeline-lovin' president this old country has ever seen. The quote about enough pipeline to "encircle the Earth" was too tempting for me to pass up.
"Meanwhile, Barry just put on his frowny face and ordered his administration to speed up the tiny little bit of the Keystone XL pipeline which will run between Oklahoma and Texas (carrying no oil from Canada, obviously). Unfortunately, the Bamster has no authority to speed up that section of pipeline and, in fact, probably couldn't prevent it from being built if he wanted to. But he desperately wants to look like he's doing something and the MSM is happily playing along." 

http://conservativedailynews.com/2012/03/pipeline-lies/ 

Critics rip Obama claim that drilling in U.S. won’t drop gas prices 

The Pants-on-Fire President  "The question becomes, is he a compulsive liar or a sociopath?  By definition a sociopath is:"

... typically defined as someone who lies incessantly to get their way and does so with little concern for others.  A sociopath is often goal-oriented (i.e., lying is focused--it is done to get one's way).  Sociopaths have little regard or respect for the rights and feelings of others.  Sociopaths are often charming and charismatic, but they use their talented social skills in manipulative and self-centered ways.

"A compulsive liar:"

A compulsive liar is defined as someone who lies out of habit.  Lying is their normal and reflexive way of responding to questions.  Compulsive liars bend the truth about everything, large and small.  For a compulsive liar, telling the truth is very awkward and uncomfortable while lying feels right.  Compulsive lying is usually developed in early childhood, due to being placed in an environment where lying was necessary.

Didn't we have this conversation back in the 90's? 

The Trayvon Martin shooting

Sharpton emcees racially-focused Sanford rally, warns against use of violence  

"Despite his harsh rhetoric, Sharpton warned the thousands in attendance to avoid resorting to violence at all costs as the Martin case progresses. “I want our people to understand that how you behave is going to be a reflection on this case,” Sharpton instructed the crowd. “[No matter] how angry we get, don’t let them make you act in a way that they will say, ‘see, that’s what to think with Trayvon.’” That's a real switch for Sharpton. 

"“We are going to act intelligent,” Sharpton said. “We going to act dignified. And, we’re going to be determined. We may be angry, but we’re not mad dogs. We’re too smart to fall for [that].”

"Left-wing radio host Joe Madison — known as the “Black Eagle” — spoke about how he thinks the shooting of Martin is a sign of overt racism."...

From the comments to this article:

.....As a black female, my question is.. is it ok for us black people to kill each other. Murder is only wrong when a white person kills a black person?
All murder, stealing is, crime etc. wrong. The black communities acceptance of black on black crime shows we have been thoroughly brainwashed. We should be this angry about all the crime in our communities.

 ....It is a real shame that this young man's tragic death is being used to forward an agenda. Look at Sharpton's wording using THEY and WE to keep the racist fires going. 

....What you believe is a lie. Note the following from March 4th, "a 13-year-old boy who police say was doused with gasoline and lit on fire last week while walking home from school is recovering from first-degree burns to his face and head. The boy was just two blocks from his home in Kansas City Tuesday when two teenagers began to follow him and then attacked him, his mother, Melissa Coon, said.Police have described the suspects as black 16-year-olds, while the victim is white." This is from the NY Daily News. Where were you, and Al Sharpton, when this happened?

Expect no clean resolution to the Trayvon Martin shooting. "Zimmerman, who was licensed in Florida to carry a concealed weapon, told police he had fired in self-defense, but the details of his statement to investigators have not been made public. The dearth of details has not prevented an outcry calling for Zimmerman’s arrest for murder. So intense is the political pressure on prosecutors that Zimmerman will almost certainly be charged with a crime, but there is little chance he’ll be convicted of one, certainly not murder." Remember the Rodney King riots?   
But never stop honoring those who saved Denny's life at the risk of their own. "But it was because of trucker Green and Terri Barnett, Titus Murphy and Lei Yuille that Denny is alive, that Williams and co-defendant Henry Keith Watson stood accused of attempted murder rather than murder." Cities around this nation may need hundreds more like them soon.

Romney equals Obama? Aw, come on, Rick!

From Hot Air: No, Senator Santorum, Obama and Romney aren’t the same  "Most of all, a second Obama term would be infinitely worse than the first.  We have already had a taste of what this will be like over the last few months, as Obama unveiled his class-warfare core.  We’ve also seen Obama’s commitment to limited government as he has tried to manipulate the law to bypass Congress on policy, and openly bragged about it.   Imagine an Obama who no longer needed to worry about his next election, and what that Obama might do in office." 
However: Santorum spokewoman says he’ll support Romney if nominee …

http://conservativedailynews.com/2012/03/santorum-hangs-on/ 

Townhall: Santorum Suggests Another Obama Term Better than Romney Presidency
"If the're(sic) going to be a little different, we might as well stay with what we have instead of adding a risk of what may be the Etch A Sketch candidate for the future." [Emphasis added.]"  


Neal Boortz: Today you should realize Santorum isn't your guy  "Santorum is toast. Period. End of story. Well … it might not be the end of the story, because Santorum is going to probably score a win in Louisiana and he’s certainly going to stick around until after Pennsylvania .. but he’s toast. After his rant about Mitt Romney yesterday most voters realize that the man just doesn’t have the temperament to be president. There’s a reason why he lost his Senatorial reelection bid in his home state by 18 percentage points."

 New Yorker  via Bret Baier, Fox Special Report

AP Deliberately Deceives on Santorum's Conditional Statement Comparing Romney and Obama


Rick Moran: Santorum thinks Obama preferable to Romney "First of all, the former senator isn't saying anything that many of his supporters aren't saying. If Romney is the nominee, millions of "true" conservatives will stay home - which is virtually the same as casting a vote for the incumbent.
"Secondly, and more importantly, without a core belief system, a politician will never be able to stand the gaff when Washington's partisan winds blow. Romney's beliefs are suspect because there is doubt about what he truly believes.

"In a way, Santorum is right - but he never should have uttered the statement."

Nate Beeler 

...."His etch a sketch comments won't make that any easier."  Fact check: Romney didn't make the remark; a staffer did, as we all know.

Santorum or Romney? Culture War or Class War?    "Well, it depends on whether you prefer to engage President Obama on cultural grounds or on terms of class warfare. Obama and his chief political strategist, David Axelrod, are going to give us one or the other. Thus, maybe the better question is: Can Santorum articulate and defend social conservatism better than Romney can defend free markets? Which of the two is a more forceful, eloquent spokesperson for the area that Obama and Axelrod will use to define and malign him? "

"Lone wolf" Islamist killer in France

Lone? Yeah, right. All of radical Islam was behind this guy; mentoring him, encouraging him and declaring him a martyr for murders that included a father and his sons at a school.

WaPo: Mohammed Merah, face of the new terrorism   "In hours of negotiations during the standoff at his apartment, Merah followed the pattern: He invoked al-Qaeda as his inspiration, police said, but gave no indication he was following anybody’s orders or working as part of a larger group. At the same time, said Molins, the prosecutor, police were seeking clues to how the unemployed Merah could afford his rented car, his two automatic rifles, his several pistols and his trips to Afghanistan."


From Atlas Shrugs: MUSLIM GROUP PROMISES CONTINUATION OF JIHAD MASSACRE OF JEWS, PRAISES FRENCH JIHAD MURDERER, CLAIMS RESPONSIBILITY 

On Tuesday, March 19, one of the Islamic knights, brother ‘Yousef Al-Faranci’ – we ask Allah to accept him – took off in an operation that shook the pillars of the Zionist-Crusade in the entire world and filled the hearts of Allah's enemies with terror.
We hereby claim responsibility for these blessed operations, and we say that what Israel is committing of crimes against our people on the blessed land of Palestine, and in Gaza specifically, will not pass without punishment. The Mujahideen everywhere intend on avenging every drop of blood that was unjustly and aggressively shed in Palestine, Afghanistan and other Muslim homelands. 

Enemies of Islam killed by the beloved Martyr 

The boy murdered in Toulouse was named for Rav Gavriel Holtzberg, who was murdered in Mumbai just before he was born. 

"With a shaking voice, Rav Rosenberg quoted Psalms 30:10, which asks G-d: "What use is my blood, when I descend to the abyss?"

"The rabbi then asked: "G-d, what do you want from our blood, which is being spilled all over the world?"

Rabbi Rosenberg thanked the Israeli government for bringing the bodies of the dead to burial in Israel. He called on people all over the world to join forces in fighting terror, and never to say "It won't happen to me."

John Edwards Denies Reported Link to Soccer Mom Madame’s Service

Well, John Edwards says he didn't do it, so that's good enough for me. If he did it, he would own up to it.


The Daily Beast   "I find it unnerving that a man this reckless, this self-indulgent, this irretrievably stupid came within a thousand miles of occupying the White House. Imagine if Ohio had gone blue in 2004. If being a failed VP candidate turned Edwards into a narcissistic fool, what would winning have done to him?"
Well, we did make it through Clinton, didn't we? And Gore. And the Kennedy's.

More here on "John Edwards’s Biggest Scandals"

Obama, the Oil Man

Obama Mocks Critics As Gas Prices Go Up "Anticipating the obvious criticism — that his investment in the Solyndra solar plant went belly up, costing American taxpayers $535 million — the President mocked those who question his ideas, saying they “lack imagination,” and he turned to name calling in order to deflect legitimate concerns about the viability of his green pipe dream and the fact that it has not produced the jobs that he promised:"...
...."Now, though, he is attempting to have it both ways, and is expected to announce plans to fast-track the southern portion of the pipeline. But this is all for show, as his announcement won’t change anything. TransCanada told Bloomberg News that the President’s announcement won’t affect their schedule at all, where construction on the southern portion is already slated to begin in June." (emphasis added)

http://townhall.com/political-cartoons/2012/03/21/97610 

Obama Tries to Screw in Loose Bulb of Energy Record “President Obama’s visit just highlights that he is continuing to obstruct construction of the Keystone XL project while gas prices continue to rise for American consumers,” Hoeven’s office said in announcing the planned rebuttal. “The fact is, the southern portion of the project doesn’t require presidential approval because it doesn’t cross an international border. It requires approval by only state authorities, the Army Corps of Engineers and other agencies.” 

http://townhall.com/political-cartoons/2012/03/20/97562 

Victor Davis Hanson: Faith-based energy policy 

"Obama, however, earns additional blame for the gas rise for reasons well beyond the normal oil bogeymen -- tension in the Middle East, rapacious OPECdictators, oil company greed and Wall Street speculation."
.... "Technologies like fracking and horizontal drilling have made it possible for Americans to produce their own oil and gas as never before. We can pump oil with less environmental damage than can Venezuela, Mexico and Nigeria. New domestic production would save a near-bankrupt America billions of dollars currently being lost in import costs while cutting security expenses in deploying forces to the Middle East."

zappatrust 

Etch-a-uh-oh

Democrats pile on Romney over Etch A Sketch comments

"The American Bridge ad follows a similar tact, following Fehrnstrom's comments with video of the toy featuring one of Romney's previously held positions on issues like abortion rights and support for the National Rifle Association. After the toy shakes, Romney's more recent stance on the issues appears.

" "While the quote may have just happened today, the sentiment has long been a way of life for Mitt Romney, who has 'shook & erased' his views on the issues over and over again," said American Bridge spokesman Chris Harris."

http://townhall.com/political-cartoons/2012/03/22/97613 

Jennifer Rubin: Romney favored TARP? And Bush signed it? 

"There’s nothing like the left-wing blogosphere to tip you off to the latest line of attack against the presumptive nominee Mitt Romney. Take this headline: “Romney Embraces Bush Economic Policies.” In fact, all that Romney did was point out something that a great many Democrats have been pointing out: The Troubled Asset Relief Program likely prevented a total financial meltdown in the fall of 2008.

"Oh, Romney points out, that would be George W Bush and not Barack Obama, who was busy avoiding taking a position during the campaign, who came up with the legislation and fought to get it through Congress."... 

The Obamas Should Remove the Girls from View

White House Dossier "As is well known now, several news outlets initially reported that Malia Obama was spending spring break in Mexico. And then the articles just disappeared  without a trace. The White House, it turned out, informed these publications that Malia’s security could be jeopardized and demanded that they be removed.

"Normally, I support efforts to minimize reporting on a president’s children, especially when there are security issues involved.

"But the Obamas have two problems here."  

 A new Internet ad by the president’s reelection campaign features a portrait of the first family asking supporters to “help the Obamas stand up for working Americans.” The appeal, a departure from the typical Obama messaging, provides an early glimpse of the role the president’s wife and daughters are likely to play in his campaign.

I have big problems with that "peace" symbol on her shirt, but that is for another time. TD


Debbie Schlussel:  Media Work Overtime to Erase Story on Malia Obama Spring Break w/ 25 Secret Svc Agents
"Every drunken exploit of the Bush daughters was covered 24/7 when he was Prez, and Rick Santorum’s kids are already getting attacked by several comedians.  But the Obama girls?  Well, a story about Malia Obama’s spring break trip to Oaxaca, Mexico with 25 Secret Service agents was erased from all the mainstream media websites.  Hmmm . . . working overtime to meet the Obama edicts about not covering his daughter, apparently.  I was away at a movie screening and other duties, and when I returned and clicked on various links to the story from the Drudge Report and Google News, I got nothing, nada.  The story’s been yanked.  No note that it isn’t true.  Just gone."
Ms. Schlussel wrote that she linked to the UK Telegraph story on Obama and this is what she got:

This link works so far.



Like Mother Like Daughter: Malia Obama and 25 Secret Service Agents Jet to Mexico for Spring Break   

"Despite warnings from the Texas Department of Public Safety that students avoid Mexico for spring break, many ignored cautions and ventured to cities and resort towns throughout Mexico.

However, most students do not have a team of bodyguards to ensure their safety.

"Malia landed in Oaxaca on Saturday with 12 of her friends and 25 secret service agents in tow. The teen flew from Houston on United Airlines, as originally reported by Mexican newspaper Milenio. The group was escorted to their hotel in three bulletproof SUVs, with some streets partially blocked off while the teens were en route."

Meanwhile, Bristol Palin still waits for her phone call from the President.